Representative Devin Nunes, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, has been recused from the investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election and interactions between the Trump campaign and the Russian government. Nevertheless, he seems to have inserted himself several times into the Trump White House attempt to interfere in the Congressional investigation.

An article in Newsweek, released today, may explain some of his behavior. Nunes seems to have developed an admiration for Flynn. In a December, 2016 interview with the author of the article, Jeff Stein, Nunes expressed his admiration for the general:​“This guy was one of the best intelligence officers in several generations … I don't know if you've ever met him, but Flynn is extremely smart. He really is top notch.”

Nunes attended a breakfast meeting in January 2017, the day before the Inauguration, that Michael Flynn, then the incoming national security adviser, and Mevlut Cavusoglu, the Turkish foreign minister, also attended.